The Relationship between Life Affirming Constructs and Teachers

61 Pages·2007·0.94 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
CG 023 478
ED 233 322
Barkdoll, Sharon L.
AUTHOR
The Relationship between Life Affirming Constructs
TITLE
and Teachers' Coping with Job Related Stress and Job
Satisfaction.
Mar 91
PUB DATE
63p.; Paper presented at the Society of Behavioral
NOTE
Medicine Scientific Sessions (12th, Washington, DC,
March 20-23, 1991).
Information Analyses (070) -- Speeches/Conference
PUB TYPE
Papers (150)
MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
Coping; Elementary Secondary Education; *Job
DESCRIPTORS
Satisfaction; Mental Health; *Self Motivation;
*Stress Management; *Teachers
ABSTRACT
Research has shown that for teachers, job
satisfaction is related more to intrinsic rewards than to the
external conditions of their employment. However, the coping
strategies for teachers' stress and recommendations for reforlis in
education address the teachers' external environment and offer
extrinsic rewards. Positive mental health variables such as positive
affect, dispositional optimism, and self-esteem have been shown to be
related to intrinsic motivation, coping with unavoidable stress, and
increased job involvement. Positive affect is related to
extraversion, satisfaction, and subjective well-being. Individuals
high in positive affect tend to form positive impressions of others
and to make positive judgments about others. For individuals high in
positive affect, increases in stress do not necessarily diminish
feelings of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. Dispositional
optimism promotes problem focused coping and the seeking of social
support, which buffers the effect3 of stress. Teachers iligh in
self-esteem have high aspirations and expectations for themselves and
their students. Some researchers feel that high levels of self-esteem
teaching. Recent studies
are a basic requirement for effective
internal source that helps the
revealed that self-esteem provides
individual cope with stress, and suggests that the life affirming
constructs can be developed and enhanced in individuals. Sixty four
references, 4 tables and 2 figures are attached. (LLL)
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Teachers' Coping
1
Life Affirming
The Relationship Between
Coping With Job
Constructs and Teachers'
Satisfaction
Related Stress and Job
Sharon L. Barkdoll
University of Tennessee
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Teachers' Coping and Life Affirming Constructs
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9
Teachers' Coping
2
Abstract
50% of
A recent study inaicates that approximately
had to
teachers would not become teachers if they
This fact holds true
choose a career all over again.
consistent
for urban and rural teachers and has been
This theoretical paper explores
over the past decade.
satisfaction,
the relationship_ between teachers' Job
Research
stress management, and intrinsic motivation.
is
has shown that for teachers, Job satisfaction
external
related more to intrinsic rewards than to the
conditions of their employment. However, the coping
for
strategies for teachers' stress and recommendations
reforns in education address the teachers' external
environment and offer extrinsic rewards. Positive
mental health variables such as positive affect,
dispositional optimism, and self-esteem have been shown
with
to be related to intrinsic motivation, coping
This
unavoidable stress, and increased Job involvement.
health variables in
paper examines these three mental
stressors
relation to teachers' coping with Job related
and Job satisfaction.
Teachers' Coping
3
When they were asked whether they would enter the
to do it over
teaching profession if they had a chance
said they
again, up to 50% of teachers interviewed
Moracco,
would not (Lombardi & Donaldson, 1987;
Dedrick, Strathe,
D'Arienzo, & Danford, 1983; Raschke,
Various predictors indicate that
& Hawkes, 1985).
thinking into
teachers are translating this wishful
teachers
action. For example, a 1986 Harris poll of
predicted that 25% of teachers will leave the
Even stronger evidence is supplied
profession by 1990.
Education and
by a report from The Carnegie Forum on
Profession,
the Economy (Task Force on Teaching as a
1992
1986), which increased that prediction to 50% by
It is estimated that 15% of new
(Martinez, 1989).
15%
teachers leave teaching after their first year,
after the second, and 10% leave the third year
Most disturbing of all is
(Schlecilty & Vance,1983).
academically able
the fact that about 53% of the most
(Frank ?: Keith, 1984;
are leaving the profession
Schlechty & Vance, 1983).
Teacher Stress
Although teaching has idealistically been viewed
working in today's schools can be
as a "labor of love,"
In a study conducted by
very costly for teachers.
Instructor magazine (Landsmann, 1977, 1978, 1979), over
Teachers' Coping
4
health concerns
9000 tPachers reportPd that their maior
Further, 75% of
involved stress, tension, and anxiety.
for most of
the teachers cited stress as the reason
The
their absences during the past school year.
the
literature is replete with studies documenting
educators in
stress of teachers in general and special
particular. Studies have found little difference
between "regular" and "special" educators with regard
to the source of their stressors, responses to
stressors, or coping resources (Beasley et al., 1983;
Wheeler
Hudson & Meagher, 1983; Sutton & Huberty, 1984;
et al., 1982).
Sources of Teacher Stress
Popular, professional, and scholarly journals and
periodicals have amply documented the sources of
teacher stress. Presented in Table 1 are 17 sumnaries
Sutton and Huberty (1984) concluded
of such studies.
that the sources of teacher stress may be related to
the individual differences in schools and teachers.
However, certain sources of stress are mentioned
In an extensive review of
consistently across studies.
teacher burnout, Cunningham (1983) reported that the
excessive time
most frequently mentioned stressors were
denands, work overload, lack of recognition for success
in one's role, decline in public respect for teachers,
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Teachers' Coping
5
recognize the worth of
and the failure of the public to
These issues
what the teacher is doing monitarily.
reported stressors
continued to be the most frequently
1989),
by teachers in 1989 (Defrank & Stroup,
Insert Table 1 about here
Relationship Between Stress and Job Satisfaction
Despite the fact that the majority of teachers
they
experience moderate to high levels of stress,
satisfaction
report enjoyment of their profession and
Further,
with their Jobs (Fimian & Santoro, 1983).
satisfaction with work may serve to buffer the effects
It has
1984).
of stress for teachers (Cox & Brockley,
their
been suggested that teachers who are committed to
profession expect to experience stress (DeFrank &
Stroup, 1989).
There are conflicting results among studies
Job
concerning the relationship between stress and
An inverse relationship was found by
satisfaction.
relationship was
Sutton and Huberty <1984), while no
DeFranck and
found by Holley and Kirkpatrick (1987).
variables
Stroup (1989) found that neither demograpaic
related to stress. They did
nor teaching background is
predictor of
find, however, that stress is a powerful
Teachers' Coping
6
High levels of stress can re ult in
Job E,atisfaction.
in Job satisfaction and
a significant decrease
1983).
performance for teachers (Cunningham,
be
It is suggested that teachers' stress may
with the
associated with a lack of satisfaction
rather than
intrinsic aspects of their Job
employment
dissatisfaction with the conditions of their
(Defrank, 1989; Galloway, 1984; Hcldaway, 1978).
to
Intrinsic satisfaction for teachers is related
& Wethered,
perceived control and effectiveness (Greer
satisfaction
Issues likely to affect intrinsic
1984).
work autonomously,
in teachers are the opportunity to
independently and consistently with one's moral
feelings of
conscience, the opportunity to help others,
accomplishment, status of teachers in the community,
Issues
and the number of years of teaching experience.
not likely to affect intrinsic satisfaction are
and
policies and practices of the school system, pay,
satisfaction with eqpervisors (Holley & Kirkpatrick,
Delong (1987) reports that students entering
1987).
service
teacher certification programs are motivated by
teaching are an
and that the intrinsic rewards of
Job satisfaction
important factor in career selection.
(recognition,
is related to meeting intrinsic needs
is
advancement, and self-actualization) and stress
7
Teachers' Coping
7
related to external factors (Cunningham, 193;
Smilansky, 1984).
The effects of intrinsic reward on turnover
Intrinsic reward was not
intentions vary with gender.
significantly relateci to tarnovef intentions among
males but was directly related to turnover intentions
Therefore, it
D.iamant, 1987).
among females (Lackman &
stress lev'els are high,
seems that even when work
incraased intrinsic rewards result in greater work
motivation and Job satisfaction in teachers.
Conversely, lack of intrinsic rewards (for famales)
result in low motivation and Job dissatisfaction.
Teachers' Strategies f,lr Coping wiTh Stress
(1982) found that teachers use a
Wheele: et al.
wide variety of responses in attempting to cope with
Despite the differences in how they
their stress.
ranked the coping responses and the frequency of the
be
responses, many coping responses were found to
The most frequently utiliznd coping response
similar.
w-ks to internalize the stress--to become nervous,
Other frequent
anxious, depressed, and irritable.
responses w(lre talking to a colleague, close friend, or
family member, par icipating in alternative activities,
relaxing activities, physical exercise, and thinking
rationally through the problem to a conclusion.
8
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Teachers' Coping
8
in the literature
Other coping responses mentioned
in teaching
included praying, seeking a change
upgrade education,
assignment, returning to school to
problem, complaining,
taking medication, ignoring the
yelling at students,
getting professional counseling,
tardy.
overeating, and frequently being absent or
of the coping
It is important to note that few
dealt directly with the
responses utilized by teachers
opportunity to
stressor--most simply provide an
confronting
temporarily vent frustration or to avoid
If, as suggested by Sutton
the situation altogether.
specifically related
and Huberty (1984), stress is more
it may be that
to unique personality variables,
quantifiable by
teachers cope in ways that are not
Sutton and Huberty do
currently utilized assessments.
variables but do state
not discuss specific personality
future
that this would be an important area for
research.
Problems with Stress Research
satisfaction, and
The measurement of stress, job
important
coping responses of teachers are an
Most
future.
consideration for the present and the
employed a wide
research conducted in this area has
defining teacher
variety of methods for measuring and
stress, job satisfaction, and coping responses.
Teachers' Coping
9
research
Beasley (1953) in a summary cf empirical
identified numerous
on stress and burnout,
methodological problems existing in tlie
lit'erature.
One of the problems identified by Beasley in the
research to date is the diversity of the instruments
used to investigate the relationship between job stress
Many of the instruments used to
and job satisfaction.
been standardized.
assess stress in teachers have not
In Beasley's summary of 14 studies, only half of the
studies reported the response rates and for those
reporting, only three of the studies had response rates
Of the 14 studies only four used random
above 50%.
sampling procedures, most used convenience sampling.
Further, few of the studies investigated similar
Even when similar
variables in relation to stress.
variables were used in different studies, different
instruments for measuring the variables in relation to
stress were employed in each of these studies.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there are
difficulties in determining the nature of the
relationship between job stress and job satisfaction in
teachers.
Problems with Current Recomnendations
Reform movements in education may relieve sone of the
stressors--salaries may increase, teacher-pupil ratio
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